


In Which Benjamin Tallmadge Is Caught Fanboying

by Arlennil



Category: Turn (TV 2014)
Genre: Ficlet, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-22 17:16:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2515556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arlennil/pseuds/Arlennil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>what the title says.</p><p>...also, now updated with more of Caleb's teasing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Which Benjamin Tallmadge Is Caught Fanboying

**Author's Note:**

> Now with a [translation into Russian](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3645297) by the amazing [koryusai279](http://archiveofourown.org/users/koryusai279/pseuds/koryusai279) .

Ben sounded like a lovesick fool, thought Caleb while listening to him waxing poetic about someone Caleb didn’t know.

“He’s so majestic, so elegant… always sharply dressed, as a gentleman should be; his cloak billows in a most magnificent manner when he walks, Caleb, you should see that – oh, and he has this presence about him, like a magnetic force, it draws your eyes to him immediately, it’s so strong that he is the center of every room he walks into, it is truly astonishing – I wish I had half of his grace… And he has such a way with words, I sound like a bumbling nitwit compared to him; what I struggle to convey in many sentences, he manages to express in a few words – a true token to the saying that brevity is the soul of wit; for of course, he is witty, too, and charming… and his _voice_ , Caleb- ”

Ben’s long ode on the various qualities of the mysterious older gentleman, whom he’d apparently just met, seemed never-ending. Caleb interrupted him, in the hopes that pressing Ben to reveal the name of his new love interest will make him stop subjecting Caleb to this ordeal. And perhaps grant him enough material to tease Ben until the next year.

“And just who is the lucky lad you’re talking about, Benny-boy?”

Ben stared at him with his mouth open. He felt the heat rising on his cheeks and knew that his face was slowly turning red. “Er,” he said, at a loss for words.

He couldn’t just say General Washington.

Caleb had of course noticed his blush and was immediately delighted. “Benjamin!” he exclaimed, grinning widely. “Aren’t you gonna share his name with me, after all that gushing? I’m hurt.”

“I wasn’t _gushing_ ,” protested Ben, “I was merely-”

“Listing all the things you like about him?””

“Ye-- no!” Ben glared at Caleb while he snickered. “I was pointing out the assorted personal characteristics befitting a gentleman of his position, which, of course, he has the good fortune to possess.”

“A gentleman of his position, aye? What position that may be?” Caleb asked with an unnecessary amount of both emphasis on the word ‘position’ and winking.

Ben could feel his blush deepening and silently cursed his skin’s unfortunate tendency to reveal his embarrassment. He cleared his throat in an attempt to restore at least some measure of dignity to this conversation. “One that should not be disclosed to you, as it would be completely needless and potentially hazardous for the army’s discipline, you utter gossip.”

Caleb tried to look hurt, but mostly didn’t succeed, because his lips kept twitching.  “Me? I’m the last person who’d run his mouth! You can tell me anything…”

“Yes, if I want it known in the whole camp,” muttered Ben good-naturedly.

“Aww Benny, don’t be so harsh! I swear not to tattle on your love life – there, now you can tell me about your intended, I am bound by my word.”

“As if that has ever stopped you,” scoffed Ben. “And I’m still not telling you, because there is _no_ intended. Frankly, I am appalled you cannot tell between a completely innocent admiration and a declaration of love.”

“Are you sure about that? I would hate to see a promising young love be stifled to nothing.” Caleb wiggled his eyebrows in a way that was probably supposed to be suggesting but instead looked like he got a cramp. Ben had just about enough.

“And I would very much like to move to another topic of conversation, if you don’t mind. Have you already gone through those reports?”

Caleb sighed. Whenever Ben turned into Major Tallmadge there was no joking around him. Never mind. He’ll have time to tease Ben about the _completely innocent admiration_ later.

**Author's Note:**

> We all know that in the show Ben is clearly quite taken by Washington's charm. What's even better, in Alexander Rose's book, Washington's Spies (which you should go read, it's amazing), the author states that Ben 'loved his God and General Washington in equal measure...' so it is historically accurate that Ben had something of a man crush on Washington.  
> It is not surprising then, that in my fic - where I blatantly ignore the historical stance on homosexuality - anyone overhearing him would immediately jump to conclusions. :)


End file.
